For the latest installment of Sunday date night, Jake and I decided we'd check out Liquid Ginger Asian Grille and Teahouse. Located in downtown Gainesville on Southeast 2nd, the restaurant's relaxed yet upscale atmosphere added to its plush decor. We were seated in a large booth and literally sank into the pillow-like cushions to order our meal. As usual, Jake took all of these photos. (Check out more of his work here.)

Edamame

I like to order Edamame every chance I can, but I was slightly disappointed by this batch. The pods weren't cooked all the way through and I ended up adding tons of salt to make up for the lack of flavor and texture.

Garlic Hot & Spicy Chicken

Liquid Ginger's menu is extensive with vegetarian options, traditional entrees, pan-seared fish and even rib-eye. The one thing you won't find? Sushi. The restaurant wanted to differentiate itself from it's competitors by opting to serve heartier meals at more affordable prices. After slurping own a Miso Soup I wanted a dish with a little more kick.

The Garlic Hot & Spicy Chicken sounded like it was up for the job, and boy was it ever! My lips started to tingle after the first bite and I had to stop and cool my palette with the cucumber and broccoli side dishes. The thick red and green peppers added a wonderful crunchy texture to the dish, while the rice sopped up all of the excess sauce. The hint of garlic at the end of every bite was subtle and I really enjoyed it.

Thankfully, I didn't walk away from the table feeling like I had nasty garlic breath.

Pad Thai

The Pad Thai was a close second while I was picking my entree, so I definitely had to steal a few mouthfulls from Jake's plate. To my surprise, the peanut flavor was very subdued and really let a lot of the other flavors of the dish shine. The rice noodles were a bit messy but added to the overall playful nature of the dish.

I'm new in town, love good food, and hate to spend my money on bad food, so I appreciate reading your reviews. I like the length of them, the sweetness, and you're writing about restaurants I've seen and thought about going into. Only one thing: please pay extra attention to your use of "it's" because you have used it several times as the possessive, when it actually means "it is".